Why would shepherds be tending the fields in the dead of winter if Jesus was born on Dec. 25 ?

Answer 1

Simple- we really do not know the exact date of Jesus birth...and the date isn't really the point, is it?

What difference does it make when the EXACT date of Jesus' birth is? None at all!

December 25th was chosen in an effort to supplant a pagan winter festival.

It is also apporpriate because it follow the winter solstice, a time whe the days start to grow longer....when the light comes into the world again...and Jesus is the Light of the World!

Answer 2

Scripture doesn't mention Jesus's birthdate or any christians celebrating His Birthday. The only birthday mentioned besides Pharoah is the heathen king Herod. "Christmas" means "mass of Christ"; the celebration coexisted in Rome before there was any in Jerusalem. The early Roman Church however did establish a pagan festival that (Jer.10) coexisted with Jesus's Birth and that was the birthday of the sun god. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., article: "Christmas"). The Catholic sources admit that Christmas didn't co-exist with the earliest festivals. Jesus wasn't born Christmas; even scripture makes this evident. "On the night of Jesus's birth, the shepherd's were still keeping watch over their flocks." (Luke 2:8). The rainy season in Ancient Israel began after the Feast of Tabernacles which generally is early October. In November, it would be cool and wet; the flocks from the pasture had already been brought and kept in winter quarters by the shepherds. This tells us the shepherds were no longer in the fields at night. Another peice of evidence is overlooked is in Luke 1:35-36; it tells us John the Baptist was born to Mary's cousin Elizabeth six months before Jesus. And as we look further in verse 5-17, we see Zacharias an elderly priest burning incense on the altar and then an angel appearing to him and telling him that he and his wife would have a son to prepare Christ's Way. We know however when this announcement was made by the angel because of Zacharias was "of the course of Abijah" Please look at 1Chron.24:1-19; it tells us that King David divided these priests into 24 "courses" that served in the temple by rotation. The Course of Abijah would be the 8th of the 24 courses which usually would occur around the end of May. Pentecost came the week after the 8th course served and he had to serve all 24 courses during the three festival seasons. So Zacharias came home approximately after the first week of June; in which John the Baptist was conceived around mid-June and 9 months later would be his birth. John Baptist's birth came around mid-March while Jesus's was around mid-September. Also notice every year people claim 3 wise men seen Jesus in a stable; is this really true? The Bible nowhere states "3 wise men" or "that the wise men visited Jesus in a stable". Read for yourself: (Matt.2:11); these Magi came from the east beyond the Euphrates River which in the 1st century was called the Parthian Empire (the eastern border of the Roman Empire).

I can't finish this: so you would have to see it on:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/271589370/1342393463049373547FazWzQ

Answer 3

Dec isn't winter in Bethlehem. It's summer. Also, who really knows if Jesus was born on December 25? In Jesus's time, December would have been the 10th month of the year. Dec - means 10 in latin, which is what the Romans, who ruled at the time, spoke.

Answer 4

There is no evidence that He was actually born on December 25, just some time around then. Also, sheep, (tended by shepherds) have to eat, even in the winter. In that area of the world, there is still some vegetation to be found, even in the winter. Shepherds would have their sheep out grazing in the winter to keep them alive.

Answer 5

December 25th was chosen as the date of Christmas because it was the date of a pagan festival and so it was easy to get the people to convert if they got to keep their old celebrations.

It does get cold in Israel in Winter, especially at night. But Jesus was actually born on 6th April. There were shepherds in the fields with their sheep at night (rather than snuggling up at home) because it was lambing season. There is other evidence pointing to this date, but this is the one which relates to your question.

Answer 6

Actually, Jesus is believed to have been born around August by most Biblical scholars, but even if he was born in December, Bethlehem is actally very mild in the winter. I took a trip there back in the late 90's during the beginning of December and the temperature was very mild.

Answer 7

I've heard that most scholars agree the Dec25 was not the birthday of Jesus. The even probably took place in November or even October, when it was still chilly, but the flocks would still be out.

Another interesting tidbit, the bible says there was no room in the Inn for Joseph and Mary, so they stayed in the stable with the animals. Well, the word for Inn could mean both a hotel or simply the living area of a home in those days. So Mary and Joseph likely made it to the home of Joseph's family, to find that there was no room for them in the living area, so they had to go with the animals (but were still in the house). This makes sense, after all bethlehem was Joseph's birthplace; you'd expect him to have family there instead of trying to stay at the hotel.

Answer 8

Some good answers here.
I will just add to it...
It is almost certain Jesus was born during the Spring/Early Summer.

And December 25th was a pagan holiday, which Christians adopted and started celebrating the birth of Christ on that day.

Answer 9

It isn't certain the exact day that Jesus was born. A day was chosen to celebrate His life that was given for us so it wasn't necessarily on that day. Even if it was, he was born a rather long time ago, in a rather far away place and so we can't really prove what the whether would have been like at that time period in that area. I hope that I made it a little more clear, have a great day!

Answer 10

Jesus was born on September 11th.... it was moved to Dec 25 because that use to be a pagan holiday or around that time of one